Wetzel County Demographics

A map of Wetzel County's Population by Race

Wetzel County, West Virginia has an estimated population of 14,078, a slight decrease from the 14,442 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 93.7% White, 4.1% Multiracial, 1.4% Hispanic, 0.5% Native American/Other, 0.2% Black, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wetzel County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wetzel has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than West Virginia overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Wetzel County, that probability was 9.8% in 2020 and 11.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wetzel County is ranked the 38th most populous county in West Virginia, out of 55 counties. Wetzel County was ranked the 37th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wetzel County's White Population

13,197 residents of Wetzel County, or 93.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wetzel County is slightly higher than in West Virginia overall, where 89.7% of the population is White. Wetzel County ranks 18th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wetzel County's White population has declined by an estimated 3.7%. White residents' share of Wetzel County's population has decreased from 94.9% to 93.7%.

Wetzel County is more White than neighboring Marshall County (92.9% White), Doddridge County (91.7% White), Marion County (91% White), and Harrison County (91.8% White). Wetzel County is less White than neighboring Tyler County (93.9% White).

Wetzel County's Black Population

26 residents of Wetzel County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wetzel County is slightly lower than in West Virginia overall, where 3.1% of the population is Black. Wetzel County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wetzel County's Black population has declined by an estimated 23.5%. Black residents' share of Wetzel County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Wetzel County is less Black than neighboring Marshall County (0.3% Black), Tyler County (0.9% Black), Doddridge County (2.5% Black), Marion County (2.5% Black), and Harrison County (1.5% Black).

Wetzel County's Asian Population

6 residents of Wetzel County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wetzel County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Asian. Wetzel County ranks 21st statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wetzel County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 88.0%. Asian residents' share of Wetzel County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Wetzel County is less Asian than neighboring Marshall County (0.3% Asian), Marion County (0.6% Asian), and Harrison County (0.8% Asian).

Wetzel County's Hispanic Population

196 residents of Wetzel County, or 1.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wetzel County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 2.1% of the population is Hispanic. Wetzel County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wetzel County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 32.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Wetzel County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.4%.

Wetzel County is more Hispanic than neighboring Marshall County (1.2% Hispanic), and Tyler County (1.1% Hispanic). Wetzel County is less Hispanic than neighboring Marion County (1.6% Hispanic), and Harrison County (2.3% Hispanic).

Wetzel County's Native American/Other Population

70 residents of Wetzel County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Wetzel County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 0.4% of the population is Native American/Other. Wetzel County ranks 54th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wetzel County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 141.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wetzel County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Wetzel County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Tyler County (0.1% Native American/Other), Marion County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Harrison County (0.1% Native American/Other). Wetzel County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Marshall County (1.1% Native American/Other), and Doddridge County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Wetzel County's Multiracial Population

583 residents of Wetzel County, or 4.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wetzel County is comparable to the share in West Virginia overall, where 3.9% of the population is Multiracial. Wetzel County ranks 29th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 55 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wetzel County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 22.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Wetzel County's population has increased from 3.3% to 4.1%.

Wetzel County is more Multiracial than neighboring Doddridge County (3.7% Multiracial), Marion County (3.9% Multiracial), and Harrison County (3.5% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.